Juliet, Naked: Nick Hornby

Reviewed by Julia Jackson, Readings Carlton

29 Sep 2009

No, this book has nothing to do with Shakespeare. Rather, the focus is Annie and Duncan and the third wheel in their relationship: Tucker Crowe, a faded music icon of the 1980s who is Duncan’s obsession.

Duncan is wholly consumed by anything Tucker-related – to the detriment of his relationship with Annie, a curator at the local museum in their sleepy English seaside town. A new CD entitled Juliet, Naked by Tucker Crowe (mostly studio demos and unplugged songs) finds its way into Duncan’s possession and is a catalyst for the demise of their relationship. Feeling as if she’s missed out on quite a bit of her adult life, Annie is forced to re-evaluate her situation. Her review of the CD, posted online on Duncan’s own fan-site dedicated to Tucker, puts her in contact with the man himself, who’s also found himself at a crossroads.

This is a quirky story about relationships, lost time, fan culture and surprises that come from hero worship, with the telling point that the reality of ‘big’ stars and idols is that they are only as big as the fantasy.